authority Archives - Page 12 of 23 - Plain Bible Teaching

Andy Sochor September 25, 2013

The Head Covering

The issue over the head covering has been controversial at times among brethren. It is something about which people are often curious. I regularly receive questions on a wide range of Bible topics. The head covering is easily one of the more asked about subjects. The main part of the passage discussing the covering is this:

“But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ. Every man who has something on his head while praying and prophesying disgraces his head. But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head” (1 Corinthians 11:3-6).

Is the head covering discussed by Paul an artificial covering or does it refer to a woman’s hair? Is it just a matter of culture or does it apply to all Christian women of all time? These are some questions people have when they study this passage. In this article, we will examine what Paul wrote in this chapter about the head covering.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: assembly, authority, head covering, tradition, women

Andy Sochor September 23, 2013

Audio: The Church and its Money

Each first day of the week we take up a collection. This money is then used by the church. The method of collecting funds in our text is the only way we find that is authorized in the New Testament. However, instead of focusing on that point in this lesson, we’re going to focus on how to handle the money after it has been collected.
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Filed Under: Audio Tagged With: authority, benevolence, church, collection, edification, evangelism

Andy Sochor August 14, 2013

Seated at the Right Hand of God

At the beginning of the book of Hebrews, the writer began by reminding the brethren that Jesus was God’s spokesman for “these last days” (Hebrews 1:2). He then explained how Jesus was qualified for this position:

“And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).

In this short article, I want to focus on part of this description of Christ. So for a few moments, I invite you to consider with me the last part of this verse: “When He had made purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” If we understand this phrase, we will have a fundamental understanding of the gospel of Christ and why His new law is superior to the Law of Moses.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: atonement, authority, crucifixion, Jesus, sacrifice, sin

Andy Sochor June 20, 2013

The Mission of the Church

There are many different churches all over the world. Why do these churches exist? What is their mission? That answer will vary from church to church as men fashion their churches according to their own desires. We will consider a few possible answers later in this article.

But what is the mission of the church of our Lord? The answer to this question will not be found in human opinion or tradition, but in the word of God that has been revealed to us in the Scriptures. So let us see what the Scriptures say about the mission of the church.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: authority, benevolence, church, edification, evangelism, preaching, social gospel, worship

Andy Sochor May 15, 2013

Jeremiah’s Commission

Even before he was conceived, Jeremiah was specifically appointed by God as a prophet (Jeremiah 1:5). We may not be called to do the work of a prophet today (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:8-10), but we can still learn from the instructions which were given to Jeremiah. We are obligated to teach and defend the truth (1 Timothy 3:15; Philippians 1:16-17). Studying Jeremiah’s commission helps us to learn how to do this.

“Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant’” (Jeremiah 1:9-10).

There were six things that Jeremiah would do in his prophesying – (1) pluck up, (2) break down, (3) destroy, (4) overthrow, (5) build, and (6) plant. These are the same six things we must do in our teaching today.

Before we consider these six things, it is important to note that all of this would be accomplished with the words of God (Jeremiah 1:9). In the same way, we will accomplish these six things by speaking “as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11, NKJV). We must not look to human wisdom, commandments, traditions, or opinions to accomplish our goals in teaching. Instead, we must look exclusively to the word of God.

So let us notice the six things we must do as we teach God’s word.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: authority, error, preaching, sin, teaching, word of God

Andy Sochor May 8, 2013

What Do the Numbers Tell Us?

There is often a great deal of emphasis placed upon numbers in a congregation – membership, attendance, converts, etc. This is somewhat natural. We tend to want some way to gauge success or progress in our efforts. Yet numbers rarely tell the whole story and, in many ways, can even be deceiving. Rather than being quick to jump to conclusions based upon numbers, we should look to God’s word to gauge our success in carrying out His will.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: authority, church, discipline, edification, evangelism, gospel, growth, preaching

Andy Sochor April 2, 2013

Are We Truly Disciples of Christ?

Many people claim to be disciples of Christ, but are they truly His disciples? Are we? This is a legitimate and important question. Notice what Jesus said:

“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free’” (John 8:31-32).

When Jesus said, “then you are truly disciples of Mine,” He implied that some are not truly His disciples. So the question under consideration is vitally important: Are we truly disciples of Christ? We must be sure we can correctly answer this question for ourselves. We must also be prepared to try and help others to be able to correctly answer this question for themselves. The context of the above passage shows us what it means to be disciples of Christ.
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